Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination
– from Wild Geese, by Mary Oliver
Creating the Image
I was drawn to this portrait, how she was pulling something in close to her heart.
And used these two other images.
As I was working on this one, I noticed myself continually removing elements. First, I removed the larger trees in the forefront.
Then I removed the far-away trees.
Next, I removed all the color and used that as another overlay. I liked how she was clouded, placing more focus on the geese. Or more clarity, perhaps, than in her experience.
Lastly, I removed some of the geese, leaving a visual straight line.
Exploring Meaning
Naturally, because of the geese, I immediately thought of Wild Geese by Mary Oliver. A poem I love so much. That seems to be the more obvious interpretation, or the most immediately accessible one.
Trying to think of a title, the repetition of the word meanwhile in the poem stood out to me.
Meanwhile: an adverb used to describe an action happening during the intervening time between two events, or at the exact same time another event is occurring. It frequently bridges the gap in stories, contrasting two simultaneous situations.
Bridging the gap between stories, contrasting two simultaneous situations. Those words resonated. In one frame, there is both freedom and enclosure. There is ‘at work,’ and there is ‘at rest’. There is alone, and there is in community. Warm and cool colors, and a black-and-white layer.
The removal process felt significant, and viewing the geese in line feels like a progression. Like one clear step at a time. Like permission to remove what doesn’t resonate and take things one task at a time.
